Just a few things I saw this week that I enjoyed.
Some great tips here about making sure your seeds are really dry
Check out this short documentary "The Future Of Food Production"
Raising Chickens For Dummies is an article that raises some good points for first time chicken owners.
As a kiwi I grew up with this appearing at birthday parties and in bakeries. It is very very sweet and very very bad for you. But as a once a year treat once slice shared with Hubby no worries.
Herbs to treat inflamation
As a soon to be mum I was sent this article about visiting a newborn and I think some of these things people would not think of.
Showing posts with label Herbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Herbs. Show all posts
Monday, 3 October 2016
Monday, 22 August 2016
Comfrey - A Must Have In Every Garden
Comfrey is an amazing plant and one I would never be without in a garden. This week I came across this great article on comfrey and it is worth having a read if you want a cheap way of adding fertility to your garden and growing supplementary food for your animals.
At the farm I grew a big patch of comfrey on the down hill slope from our composting bins. It is hard to see in the below photo as the pumpkin grew everywhere but between the corrugated compost bay side and the water tank is all comfrey. I started off with just 3 plants and just divided off some roots and allowed them to shoot. This big patch of comfrey helped us when we had a delay in getting our freezer cow processed as we used it as a feed supplement.
We used to hang bunches in the chicken pen for the chickens to eat which they loved especially when their grass was a bit dried out over the hot summer or when they were moulting.
I also used to make a liquid tonic for plants by soaking leaves in a sack in a bucket of water and this gave them a boost and when ever planting new plants a few leaves were always added to the bottom of the hole then covered by a layer of soil.
Comfrey is high on the list of plants for our NZ farm and as soon as I get there I plant on getting some plants in the ground and getting lots of root cuttings going as I know that we will need a lot of it in our plans for our garden. I am hoping to plant quite a bit of it to use in gardens as a ground cover, for making compost and for animals. As we already have our planting of trees along the roadside for a wind break in the ground I should be able to plant comfrey in this area without worrying about them being too invasive and not wanting them there in the future.
Do you grow a big patch of comfrey?
How do you use comfrey?
At the farm I grew a big patch of comfrey on the down hill slope from our composting bins. It is hard to see in the below photo as the pumpkin grew everywhere but between the corrugated compost bay side and the water tank is all comfrey. I started off with just 3 plants and just divided off some roots and allowed them to shoot. This big patch of comfrey helped us when we had a delay in getting our freezer cow processed as we used it as a feed supplement.
We used to hang bunches in the chicken pen for the chickens to eat which they loved especially when their grass was a bit dried out over the hot summer or when they were moulting.
I also used to make a liquid tonic for plants by soaking leaves in a sack in a bucket of water and this gave them a boost and when ever planting new plants a few leaves were always added to the bottom of the hole then covered by a layer of soil.
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| Comfrey is buried below the pumpkin vine |
Comfrey is high on the list of plants for our NZ farm and as soon as I get there I plant on getting some plants in the ground and getting lots of root cuttings going as I know that we will need a lot of it in our plans for our garden. I am hoping to plant quite a bit of it to use in gardens as a ground cover, for making compost and for animals. As we already have our planting of trees along the roadside for a wind break in the ground I should be able to plant comfrey in this area without worrying about them being too invasive and not wanting them there in the future.
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| Our windbreak planting which should be a good area for comfrey |
Do you grow a big patch of comfrey?
How do you use comfrey?
Friday, 6 May 2016
Liz's Magical Herbal Salve
As I posted the other day our dog Jessie managed to hurt herself recently when we visited our friends Liz and Pete.
As luck would have it a little while back Liz gave me some of her herbal salve to try and after checking all the ingredients were safe to use on dogs even if they licked it I decided to apply it to Jessies skin tear.
This was less than 2 weeks ago and the hole was about the size of a 10 cent piece and right through all the layers of the skin.
This is today.
As you can see it is completely healed over with just a tiny little scab bust mostly new skin. To be honest I thought it would take a lot longer to heal to this point and you can tell that not much time has passed based on the lack of hair growth.
You can buy Liz's Salve here at her Etsy shop. Just to be open and honest, yes we are friends, no I didn't pay for my pot of salve, no I am not getting paid to endorse her products (but I am happy to as I have tried the lip balm and a soap that she made a while back and they were great) and finally Liz does not know I am posting this (till now) and has not seen the attached photo either.
So a big thanks to Liz for gifting me this salve.
As luck would have it a little while back Liz gave me some of her herbal salve to try and after checking all the ingredients were safe to use on dogs even if they licked it I decided to apply it to Jessies skin tear.
This was less than 2 weeks ago and the hole was about the size of a 10 cent piece and right through all the layers of the skin.
This is today.
As you can see it is completely healed over with just a tiny little scab bust mostly new skin. To be honest I thought it would take a lot longer to heal to this point and you can tell that not much time has passed based on the lack of hair growth.
You can buy Liz's Salve here at her Etsy shop. Just to be open and honest, yes we are friends, no I didn't pay for my pot of salve, no I am not getting paid to endorse her products (but I am happy to as I have tried the lip balm and a soap that she made a while back and they were great) and finally Liz does not know I am posting this (till now) and has not seen the attached photo either.
So a big thanks to Liz for gifting me this salve.
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Growing Basil From Cuttings
Do you grow basil from cuttings?
To be honest I never knew you could. I picked some basil from the garden the other day and did not use it all so it sat on the bench in a glass of water for a few days waiting for another dish that needed it.
But then it got forgotten and next thing you know it is sending out roots. Well I'll be...
Why I have been growing it from seed and waiting so long for it to grow I don't know. Now that I know this work I will be getting some other cuttings going as well so that I have a constant supply of basil without it going to flower.
To be honest I never knew you could. I picked some basil from the garden the other day and did not use it all so it sat on the bench in a glass of water for a few days waiting for another dish that needed it.
But then it got forgotten and next thing you know it is sending out roots. Well I'll be...
Why I have been growing it from seed and waiting so long for it to grow I don't know. Now that I know this work I will be getting some other cuttings going as well so that I have a constant supply of basil without it going to flower.
Monday, 22 September 2014
The Weekend Kitchen
Over the weekend we were quite busy but I did have time to make another batch of Coriander and Macadamia Nut Pesto (my favourite kind of pesto)which we have been eating a lot of over the last few weeks.
It is getting too hot here to grow coriander in the garden and from now on I will have to grow it in the shade house otherwise it just bolts to seed. So with this in mind I have been making lots of pesto and if I can keep it away from Hubby I will even get to freeze some.
I kind of make this recipe up as I go along as sometimes it needs adjusting depending on if the coriander has gone a bit bitter from being old and you can reduce the garlic if you don't like a big hit. You can substitute the coriander for parsley, basil, mint or rocket in full or use a combination of them. You can also change the type of nuts you use and add chilli for some heat if you like. Pesto should always be made to your taste but this is the basic recipe I follow.
Coriander Pesto
4 Cups of Coriander
1 Cup of Macadamia Nuts
2 Cloves of Garlic
3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 1/2 Cups of Olive Oil (Plus extra to cover)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place the coriander, nuts, garlic and parmesan in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped stopping to scrape down the sides a few times. Then with the motor running add the salt and pepper and then the oil in a steady stream and mix to a paste.
Pack into jars or containers and top with a layer of olive oil before sealing and freezing or refrigerating.
Do you make pesto? What is your favourite kind?
It is getting too hot here to grow coriander in the garden and from now on I will have to grow it in the shade house otherwise it just bolts to seed. So with this in mind I have been making lots of pesto and if I can keep it away from Hubby I will even get to freeze some.
I kind of make this recipe up as I go along as sometimes it needs adjusting depending on if the coriander has gone a bit bitter from being old and you can reduce the garlic if you don't like a big hit. You can substitute the coriander for parsley, basil, mint or rocket in full or use a combination of them. You can also change the type of nuts you use and add chilli for some heat if you like. Pesto should always be made to your taste but this is the basic recipe I follow.
Coriander Pesto
4 Cups of Coriander
1 Cup of Macadamia Nuts
2 Cloves of Garlic
3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 1/2 Cups of Olive Oil (Plus extra to cover)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place the coriander, nuts, garlic and parmesan in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped stopping to scrape down the sides a few times. Then with the motor running add the salt and pepper and then the oil in a steady stream and mix to a paste.
Pack into jars or containers and top with a layer of olive oil before sealing and freezing or refrigerating.
Do you make pesto? What is your favourite kind?
Monday, 26 May 2014
The Weekend Kitchen
This weekend was a busy one for me but i still managed to get a lot done in the kitchen.
There was bread making.
Then I picked some Lemon Myrtle leaves to be dried and ground for baking and some were made into a a liquid. I will post more about this later in the week.
Pear and Almond Cake With Ginger Syrup
185 gm Soft Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups of Dark Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 Cup Ground Almonds
2 Cups of Self Raising Flour
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Ripe Pears, Peeled, cored and each cut into 12 segments
A 3 cm Piece of Ginger, Finely Grated
If you have a fan forced oven preheat it to 160 degrees other wise heat your oven to 180 degrees.
Line the base of a 22 cm spring form tin and grease the sides.
Use and electric mixer to cream the butter, half the sugar and the vanilla extract until light and creamy. then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each one, until fully incorporated.
Then using a spatula fold in the ground almonds. Once the almonds are fully combined fold in half the flour then the milk followed by the remaining flour until all are fully combined.
Scoop into the tin smoothing out the top then press your pear segments into the batter.
Bake for 1 hour or until springy to the touch in the centre.
Mean while add the remaining sugar, the ginger and 1 cup of water to a saucepan and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Then raise the heat and bring to a boil for 10 minutes until it is slightly syrupy then strain into a jug.
When the cake is cooked cool in the pan for 5 minutes then release the sides. Brush a bit of the syrup over the top of the hot cake to give it a nice glaze and then let the cake cool completely.
Serve with a good dollop of thick natural yogurt and some of the remaining syrup to drizzle over each piece.
And finally I roasted up some of those lovely tomatoes we were given with zucchini, chorizo and lots of garlic. It was lovely served with pasta for a simple supper.
What happened in you kitchen over the weekend?
There was bread making.
Then I picked some Lemon Myrtle leaves to be dried and ground for baking and some were made into a a liquid. I will post more about this later in the week.
I also baked a pear and almond cake with ginger syrup. And it was delicious.
Pear and Almond Cake With Ginger Syrup
185 gm Soft Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups of Dark Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 Cup Ground Almonds
2 Cups of Self Raising Flour
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Ripe Pears, Peeled, cored and each cut into 12 segments
A 3 cm Piece of Ginger, Finely Grated
If you have a fan forced oven preheat it to 160 degrees other wise heat your oven to 180 degrees.
Line the base of a 22 cm spring form tin and grease the sides.
Use and electric mixer to cream the butter, half the sugar and the vanilla extract until light and creamy. then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each one, until fully incorporated.
Then using a spatula fold in the ground almonds. Once the almonds are fully combined fold in half the flour then the milk followed by the remaining flour until all are fully combined.
Scoop into the tin smoothing out the top then press your pear segments into the batter.
Bake for 1 hour or until springy to the touch in the centre.
Mean while add the remaining sugar, the ginger and 1 cup of water to a saucepan and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Then raise the heat and bring to a boil for 10 minutes until it is slightly syrupy then strain into a jug.
When the cake is cooked cool in the pan for 5 minutes then release the sides. Brush a bit of the syrup over the top of the hot cake to give it a nice glaze and then let the cake cool completely.
Serve with a good dollop of thick natural yogurt and some of the remaining syrup to drizzle over each piece.
And finally I roasted up some of those lovely tomatoes we were given with zucchini, chorizo and lots of garlic. It was lovely served with pasta for a simple supper.
What happened in you kitchen over the weekend?
Monday, 25 June 2012
Coriander and Macadamia Nut Pesto
After my last post Wendy from Duchess Declutter asked for the recipe so here it is.
I will say though that this is a recipe that you have to adjust to your taste. Personally I like mine quite nutty and with a generous helping of cheese and garlic. But you can adjust to suit your own tastes.
Before starting roast your macadamias in a 180 degree oven until just starting to colour. Remove and cool before making pesto.
Pesto
3 packed cups Coriander
1 1/4 Cups Roasted Macadamias
3/4 Cup Parmesan
4 Cloves of Crushed Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Put the coriander, garlic, macadamias and parmesan into a food processor and blend till broken down a bit. The add olive oil till it becomes a paste. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
I will say though that this is a recipe that you have to adjust to your taste. Personally I like mine quite nutty and with a generous helping of cheese and garlic. But you can adjust to suit your own tastes.
Before starting roast your macadamias in a 180 degree oven until just starting to colour. Remove and cool before making pesto.
Pesto
3 packed cups Coriander
1 1/4 Cups Roasted Macadamias
3/4 Cup Parmesan
4 Cloves of Crushed Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Put the coriander, garlic, macadamias and parmesan into a food processor and blend till broken down a bit. The add olive oil till it becomes a paste. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
Thursday, 21 June 2012
In the Kitchen and Garden
Over the weekend I spend a few hours in the kitchen whipping up some tasty treats.
I made some sourdough sweet chilli scrolls using my standard bread mix and adding sweet chilli sauce and grated cheese.
I also made some coriander and macadamia nut pesto. We have coriander growing like mad in the garden and it was a great way to use a whole lot up before it all goes to seed.
I will let some go to seed to attract the good bugs to the garden but there will be plenty to do that even if I harvest all of what is in the veggie garden. Last year my coriander went to seed and I left it so that I could harvest all the dry seed for cooking.
But just as the seeds were ready to harvest we got rain and they got washed off the bush and all through the garden. Now we have coriander popping up everywhere. Oh well not really an issue just more to let go to seed for next year.
Do you have any self seeded herbs of veggies popping up in strange places at your place?
I made some sourdough sweet chilli scrolls using my standard bread mix and adding sweet chilli sauce and grated cheese.
I will let some go to seed to attract the good bugs to the garden but there will be plenty to do that even if I harvest all of what is in the veggie garden. Last year my coriander went to seed and I left it so that I could harvest all the dry seed for cooking.
But just as the seeds were ready to harvest we got rain and they got washed off the bush and all through the garden. Now we have coriander popping up everywhere. Oh well not really an issue just more to let go to seed for next year.
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| Coriander growing in the wood mulch paths around the raised beds |
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| Coriander in the driveway |
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| And growing in the garden edging |
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Day 1 in the Garden
So the first day of my work break has come and gone and it was a productive one.
It was off to town to pick up supplies. Some Searles 5 in 1 compost, some vermiculite and a few other bits and pieces. I use the vermiculite mixed with potting mix when planting out seeds and I see on the packet it is made from organic materials, but I really do not know that much about it and if it is actually a good thing to buy/use and what are the environmental impacts. If anyone knows I would love to know. Other wise I will be putting it on my list of things to find out.
Then it was off to the mushroom farm to make enquiries about compost and buying mushrooms in bulk.
And I wasn't disappointed. I met with the owner and she gave me a tour and told me what I was able to purchase.
Basically there was no minimum quantity so if I only wanted a kilo of mushrooms (as if) that was fine and I had the choice of the following:
A1 Buttons $7 kg
A2 Buttons $6 kg (these were basically not pure white on their caps)
Cups $5 kg
Swiss Browns $8 kg
Mushroom compost $1 per bag and still producing stacks of mushrooms
So I got a 4kg box of A2 mushrooms and now I just have to divide them up and work out how many to keep out and how many to freeze. I am not sure if anyone else freezes mushrooms but I find they freeze well.
After lunch I go on to some of the outdoor jobs on my list, mainly planting seeds for the summer veg I want to have this year. So out to my potting table in the shade house it is.
So I have planted out: Sage, Thyme, Rocket, Purple Artichokes, Zuchini (tri colour), 3 types of Tomato's (Amish Paste, Russian Mix and Galapagos), Heirloom Capsicums (7 colour mix) and Heirloom Eggplant's.
Some of these I tried last year but I was too late in starting and the humidity killed them off so this year I hope to have things up and running before the humidity kicks in.
Well out to the garden I go again to see what more I can get done.
It was off to town to pick up supplies. Some Searles 5 in 1 compost, some vermiculite and a few other bits and pieces. I use the vermiculite mixed with potting mix when planting out seeds and I see on the packet it is made from organic materials, but I really do not know that much about it and if it is actually a good thing to buy/use and what are the environmental impacts. If anyone knows I would love to know. Other wise I will be putting it on my list of things to find out.
Then it was off to the mushroom farm to make enquiries about compost and buying mushrooms in bulk.
And I wasn't disappointed. I met with the owner and she gave me a tour and told me what I was able to purchase.
Basically there was no minimum quantity so if I only wanted a kilo of mushrooms (as if) that was fine and I had the choice of the following:
A1 Buttons $7 kg
A2 Buttons $6 kg (these were basically not pure white on their caps)
Cups $5 kg
Swiss Browns $8 kg
Mushroom compost $1 per bag and still producing stacks of mushrooms
 |
| My A2 Mushrooms |
After lunch I go on to some of the outdoor jobs on my list, mainly planting seeds for the summer veg I want to have this year. So out to my potting table in the shade house it is.
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 |
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| Paper pots from over at sow give grow |
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| All done - well for now |
Some of these I tried last year but I was too late in starting and the humidity killed them off so this year I hope to have things up and running before the humidity kicks in.
Well out to the garden I go again to see what more I can get done.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Madening Mint
Mint. One of the easiest things to grow. Grows like a weed for most people taking over and growing prolifically.
Not for me. I have my mint growing in a couple of containers and it is currently re-shooting after being mowed off by a swarm of hungry grass hoppers.
It is growing in a shady spot and gets plenty of water and worm tea. Most mint I see growing in gardens seems to thrive on neglect, maybe mine is getting to much love.
I love mint and use it in lots of cooking. It really gives the humble salad a lift and it turns the most average drink into something a little bit special, and is like a breath of fresh air to so many other foods.
It is something I really resent buying when it should be oh so easy to grow.
I think I am going to find it a new home, probably in a bigger pot, maybe in the ground if I can find a spot it won't matter if it takes over.
I want an entire bed of mint, a carpet in fact. I want to be able to harvest it by the handful and never run out.
Perhaps I could use that little garden bed that Jessie helped me prepare that I was going to use for my snow peas?
No I think that is overkill, so I'll just have to get my thinking cap on for just the right place.
Not for me. I have my mint growing in a couple of containers and it is currently re-shooting after being mowed off by a swarm of hungry grass hoppers.
It is growing in a shady spot and gets plenty of water and worm tea. Most mint I see growing in gardens seems to thrive on neglect, maybe mine is getting to much love.
I love mint and use it in lots of cooking. It really gives the humble salad a lift and it turns the most average drink into something a little bit special, and is like a breath of fresh air to so many other foods.
It is something I really resent buying when it should be oh so easy to grow.
I think I am going to find it a new home, probably in a bigger pot, maybe in the ground if I can find a spot it won't matter if it takes over.
I want an entire bed of mint, a carpet in fact. I want to be able to harvest it by the handful and never run out.
Perhaps I could use that little garden bed that Jessie helped me prepare that I was going to use for my snow peas?
No I think that is overkill, so I'll just have to get my thinking cap on for just the right place.
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| My sad little Mint Pots |
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